“Luke is the obvious choice to captain the team against the Sharks. He is highly respected, has a great feel for the game and will lead through his actions,” Rennie said.
Jacobson starts in a loose forward trio featuring Wallace Sititi – after he recovered from illness that forced him to pull out late from the Stormers match – and with Tupou Vaa’i continuing at blindside.
While Will Jordan, Tyrel Lomax, Patrick Tuipulotu (who captained the All Blacks against the Stormers), Savea, Taylor and Josh Moorby are absent and Cam Roigard will emerge off the bench after a heavy workload this year, the bulk of the team to face the Sharks will be expected to confront the Boks at Ellis Park on August 23.
Preparation will be limited for this match, with this All Blacks team having two training sessions for the Sharks. These combinations are, however, more settled than the side who opened the tour so a vastly improved performance will be expected in Durban.
Other features of this team include Hurricanes wing Fehi Fineanganofo and Crusaders halfback Kyle Preston making their first starts for the All Blacks.
Fineanganofo will be keen to seize this chance after battling a shoulder injury and illness since debuting off the bench in the first test of the year against France in Christchurch in early July. Preston has a chance to push his claims for the halfback impact role behind Roigard.
Moana Pasifika No 8 Semisi Ta’eiloa and Blues hooker Bradley Slater, the latter called up five days ago for the injured George Bell, are in line to debut from the bench.
Luke Jacobson will captain the All Blacks for the first time against the Sharks in Durban. Photo / SmartFrame
Seven players from the 38-21 win over the Stormers will back up four days later against the Sharks. Asafo Aumua, Sam Darry, Preston, Caleb Clarke, Ollie Norris and Ethan Blackadder came off the bench in Cape Town. Pasilio Tosi, after struggling at scrum time in a starting role against the Stormers, gets another chance to contribute from the reserves.
Highlanders second five-eighths Timoci Tavatavanawai and Chiefs wing Emoni Narawa will make their first appearances for the All Blacks under Rennie.
Rennie has pledged to give his full 44-man squad game time before the opening test against the Boks, leaving one more opportunity in the match against the Bulls at Loftus next weekend.
“Two more players will pull on the All Blacks jersey for the first time against the Sharks,” Rennie said. On behalf of the whole squad, I want to congratulate Semisi and Bradley on achieving this very special milestone, and I know their family and friends will be incredibly proud.
“The opening match gave the players a real introduction to the way that South African teams play and the Sharks will be no different. With a short turnaround between games, today has been a big day of preparation. There is a lot of excitement in the group, with the majority of the squad about to play their first game of the tour.”
All Blacks team:
1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Asafo Aumua, 3. Fletcher Newell, 4. Josh Lord, 5. Sam Darry, 6. Tupou Vaa’i, 7. Luke Jacobson(c), 8. Wallace Sititi 9. Kyle Preston, 10. Ruben Love, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Quinn Tupaea, 14. Fehi Fineanganofo, 15. Damian McKenzie
Reserves: 16. Bradley Slater, 17. Ollie Norris, 18. Pasilio Tosi, 19. Ethan Blackadder, 20. Semisi Ta’eiloa, 21. Cam Roigard, 22. Timoci Tavatavanawai, 23. Emoni Narawa
Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.